1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to dishwashing appliances and, more particularly, to a protective arrangement for protecting a control device associated with a dishwashing appliance, and an apparatus and method associated therewith.
2. Description of Related Art
A washing appliance, such as a dishwasher, generally includes a tub portion having a forward-facing vertical opening, wherein a door is engaged with the tub portion so as to be pivotable about the lower end of the tub portion and to close the tub opening during the washing process. In this regard, conventional dishwashers may include a door having a separate polymeric “inner lining” component (i.e., the inward surface of the door facing the interior of the tub portion). However, in such instances, if the polymeric inner lining is to be used for any structural purpose in the dishwasher, the inner liner must be appropriately reinforced by another separate structure. For example, a door assembly may include a plastic door liner and a metal reinforcement panel which is staked to the plastic door liner. In such instances, the metal reinforcement panel provides additional stiffness, strength, and provisions to which to attach various mechanisms and components, such as counterbalance arms/hinges for providing the pivotable engagement with the tub portion.
Such a dishwasher door assembly may also include a control panel engaged therewith about the upper end of the door assembly, often in a dedicated recess configured to receive the control panel in a confined space, wherein the control panel directs the operation/actuation of various operational components of the dishwasher. Such a control panel may include, for example, a timer device for controlling certain aspects of the dishwasher. The control panel/timer device may be connected by an appropriate wiring harness run outside the metal reinforcement panel (i.e., the metal reinforcement panel separates the wires running to the control panel from the plastic or polymeric door liner) and routed over existing structures associated with the bottom of the door assembly, to the operative components of the dishwasher housed within a base component of the dishwasher under the tub portion.
Further, a dishwasher door configured in such a manner may use the metal reinforcement panel as a “flame barrier”. That is, the metal reinforcement panel may act as a barrier for flame advancement should the control panel/timer device catch on fire. However, the metal reinforcement panel may not necessarily be configured to prevent fluid leakage (i.e., from a detergent dispenser) from contacting the wiring harness, the control panel and/or the timer device. The dedicated space defined by the metal reinforcement panel for receiving the control panel/timer device may be particularly configured for this purpose. However, the metal reinforcement panel may not necessarily be configured to prevent fluid leakage from contacting the control panel/timer device, wherein, in such instances, the fluid leakage contacting the control panel/timer device may lead to the aforementioned fire hazard.
Alternatively, in some instances, a dishwasher may employ a door assembly formed without the separate metal reinforcement panel. For example, a molded structural inner door member may be implemented, wherein such an integrally molded and structurally reinforced inner door member eliminates the need for a separate metal reinforcing panel. However, in doing so, the “flame barrier” function of the metal reinforcement panel is eliminated, and the control panel/timer device may still be at risk of undesirable contact with leaking fluids such as, for example, from the detergent dispenser.
Thus, there exists a need for an apparatus and method for a dishwashing appliance for reducing potential hazards/risks associated with a control panel/timer device of a dishwasher.